U.S. patent application number 15/668710 was filed with the patent office on 2018-04-19 for conveyor structure of conveyor driven fabric dyeing machine.
The applicant listed for this patent is CHI-LUNG CHANG. Invention is credited to CHI-LUNG CHANG.
Application Number | 20180105364 15/668710 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58607223 |
Filed Date | 2018-04-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180105364 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHANG; CHI-LUNG |
April 19, 2018 |
CONVEYOR STRUCTURE OF CONVEYOR DRIVEN FABRIC DYEING MACHINE
Abstract
A conveyor structure for use with a conveyor driven fabric
dyeing machine is provided. The conveyor includes at least one pair
of conveyor chains that are parallel to each other, or a similar
structure, and a driver roller that guides and drives the conveyor
chains. A plurality of conveyance plates are arranged to straddle
between the conveyor chains. The conveyance plates have first ends
fixed to the conveyor chains and opposite second ends that are free
ends and are movable with respect to the conveyor chains. With the
conveyance plates that are stiff supporting the weight of fabric,
the conveyor, when conveying fabric, is prevented from curving and
deformation so that there is no need to additionally provide a
support structure, the entire structure is simplified and easy to
install and remove for maintenance, and it is hard for debris and
contaminants to hide therein and cleaning is made easy.
Inventors: |
CHANG; CHI-LUNG; (Taoyuan
City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CHANG; CHI-LUNG |
Taoyuan City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
58607223 |
Appl. No.: |
15/668710 |
Filed: |
August 4, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65G 2201/02 20130101;
B65G 17/067 20130101; B65G 23/06 20130101; D06B 23/04 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65G 17/06 20060101
B65G017/06; D06B 23/04 20060101 D06B023/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 14, 2016 |
TW |
105215576 |
Claims
1. An improved conveyor structure for use with a conveyor driven
fabric dyeing machine, the conveyor comprising at least one pair of
convey chains that are arranged parallel to each other and a driver
roller to guide and drive the conveyor chains; wherein a plurality
of the conveyance plates are arranged between and straddle between
the conveyor chains.
2. The improved conveyor structure for use with a conveyor driven
fabric dyeing machine according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance
plates have an extended length to cover multiple sections of the
conveyor chains.
Description
(a) TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a conveyor driven
fabric dyeing machine, and more particularly to a conveyor
structure that comprises a plurality of rigid conveyance plates
mounted on conveyor chains.
(b) DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
[0002] A conveyor driven dyeing machine comprises a conveyor. When
the conveyor conveys fabric forward, the weight of the fabric may
cause a conveyor belt to curve or deform and exhibits a wavy
corrugated condition. Heretofore, it is common to provide a support
device under the conveyor belt, such as a fixed support member made
of a wearable material, or a support device including an array of
rollers, or a synchronously operated support chain, in order to
keep smooth and stable operation of the conveyor. Further, the
wearable material may get worn out and requires replacement and may
also cause wear of the conveyor that also requires replacement of
parts. The roller array, although generally causing no wear of the
conveyor, may still causes a wavy corrugated configuration of the
conveyor belt of different extends based on the arrangement density
of the rollers. The synchronous support chain is of a high
cost.
[0003] Further, with the support structure installed inside a
machine body of a dyeing machine, the manufacturing cost would be
increased due to the complicated structure. In addition, debris or
contaminants may readily get stuck or jammed inside the machine
body of the dyeing machine and cannot be easily removed. Further,
the conveyor belt may get cyclic wear and abrasion occurring in a
contact surface thereof with the support structure. Further, due to
the installation of the support structure inside the machine body,
the limited interior space of the machine body is further limited
so that scheduled maintenance and replacement of the conveyor
become even harder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] An objective of the present invention is to provide an
improved conveyor structure that comprises conveyance plates that
are stiff for improving a conveyor structure of a conveyor driven
fabric dyeing machine, and at the same time simplifying the
structure of the conveyor to reduce the manufacturing cost thereof
and ease the installation, and also being free of wear and easy to
mount, remove, and maintain.
[0005] The features of the present invention are that the conveyor
comprises a plurality of conveyor chains and a plurality of
conveyance plates that are stiff are provided to straddle between
the conveyor chains so that such stiff conveyance plates provide
support to the fabric that is conveyed by the conveyor so as to
prevent curving and wear of the conveyor, wherein the structure is
simplified and easy to install and maintenance, is hard to hide
debris and contaminants therein, and is easy to clean.
[0006] One of the technical solutions of the present invention is
that the conveyor for use with a fabric dyeing machine comprises at
least one pair of conveyor chains that are arranged parallel to
each other and a driver roller to guide and drive the conveyor
chains, wherein a plurality of conveyance plates is provided
between an straddling between the conveyor chains such that first
ends of the conveyance plates are fixed to the conveyor chains and
opposite second ends being free ends that are movable with respect
to the conveyor chains. With such a structural arrangement, the
conveyor chains, when driven by the driver roller, may rotate with
the driver roller without being interfered with.
[0007] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
first ends of the conveyance plates are fixed to the conveyor
chains and the second ends are stacked, in a movable manner, on the
first ends of the respective adjacent ones of the conveyance
plates. As such, the stacking arrangement prevents the conveyance
plates from generating a gap therebetween thereby protecting fabric
from getting stuck or jammed in the gap.
[0008] In another embodiment of the present invention, the first
ends of the conveyance plates are fixed to the conveyor chains and
the second ends are movably straddling between and supported on the
conveyor chains and are located immediately next to the first ends
of the respective adjacent ones of the conveyance plates.
[0009] In another embodiment of the present invention, the
conveyance plates are extended in length thereof to cover or span
over multiple sections of the conveyor chains, so that the multiple
sections of the conveyor chains share a common one of the
conveyance plates (as shown in FIG. 5) to thereby reduce the number
of the conveyance plates used.
[0010] To allow dye contained in fabric positioned on the
conveyance plates to smoothly fall down to a bottom of an interior
of a machine body, the present invention is preferably structured
such that a plurality of through holes are formed in the conveyance
plates to allow the dye liquid to move therethrough.
[0011] To prevent the conveyance plates that are used to convey
fabric from being corroded by chemical dye liquid and thus extend
the service life thereof, the conveyance plates are preferably made
of a rigid or stiff material that is resistant to corrosion.
[0012] To protect fabric from damage caused by excessive abrasion
between the fabric and the conveyance plates, the present invention
is preferably structured such that surfaces of the conveyance
plates have been subjected to polishing treatment to form smooth
surfaces or the surfaces of the conveyance plates are provided with
a coating that is resistant to chemical corrosion.
[0013] The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief
introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these
and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention
itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the
art, the following detailed description of the invention and the
claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical
reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
[0014] Many other advantages and features of the present invention
will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making
reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets
of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment
incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by
way of illustrative example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a conveyor structure
according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a circled portion "A" of FIG.
1.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a conveyor structure
according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a circled portion "B" of FIG.
3.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a portion of a conveyor
structure according to a third embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only,
and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or
configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following
description provides a convenient illustration for implementing
exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the
described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement
of the elements described without departing from the scope of the
invention as set forth in the appended claims.
[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the present invention provides a
structure of a conveyor 1 for use in a conveyor driven fabric
dyeing machine, which as a first embodiment, comprises at least one
pair of conveyor chains 12 that are arranged parallel and a driver
roller 11 that guides and drives the conveyor chains 12. The
conveyor 1 is arranged in an interior space of a machine body of
the fabric dyeing machine to convey fabric (not shown in the
drawings). In other words, the fabric is positioned on the conveyor
1 and the conveyor 1, when driven by the driver roller 11 to move,
brings the fabric to move in a cyclic circulating manner.
[0022] In the conveyor, a plurality of conveyance plates are
provided between and straddling the conveyor chains 12. In this
specification, the conveyance plates are divided into a plurality
of first conveyance plates 2A and second conveyance plates 2B that
are arranged alternate with each other. The first conveyance plates
2A and the second conveyance plates 2B each have two end edges on
two opposite ends thereof, wherein the ends on the same direction
are referred to as first ends 21 and the opposite ends are referred
to as second ends 22. The conveyance plates 2A, 2B are arranged, in
a manner of being alternate with each other, on the conveyor chains
12 in such a way that the first ends 21 are fixed on the conveyor
chains 12 and the second ends 22 are not fixed and are free ends
that are movable with respect to the conveyor chains 12, wherein
the second ends of the first conveyance plates 2A are respectively
positioned on the first ends of the second conveyance plates 2B
adjacent thereto; and the second ends of the second conveyance
plates 2B are respectively positioned on the first ends of the
first conveyance plates 2A adjacent thereto. As such, the outer
surface of the entire loop of the conveyor chains 12 are completely
mounted with and covered by the conveyance plates with the adjacent
conveyance plates partly overlapping each other to eliminate any
potential gap or clearance between adjacent ones of the conveyance
plates so as to help prevent the fabric from being get stuck or
jammed in the gap during conveyance by the conveyor.
[0023] The fabric that is conveyed by the conveyor 1 may absorb and
hold a large quantity of dye liquid therein. To allow the dye
liquid contained in the fabric to be smoothly discharged out of the
conveyor for separation of the fabric and the liquid, the present
invention is structured to include a plurality of through holes
(not shown in the drawings) extending through each of the first
conveyance plates 2A and the second conveyance plates 2B. As such,
the dye liquid contained in the fabric may be acted upon by the
gravity to fall through the through holes and return to a bottom of
the interior of the machine body.
[0024] Further, since the chemical dye liquid that is used for
dyeing fabric may exhibit certain property of corrosion, to extend
the service life of the conveyor, the present invention is
preferably made up of conveyance plates that are made of a rigid or
stiff material that is resistant to corrosion or a corrosion
resistant coating layer may be provided on the rigid or stiff
material.
[0025] Further, to prevent the fabric positioned on the conveyance
plates from being damaged due to excessive abrasion between the
fabric and the conveyance plates, the present invention is
preferably made up of conveyance plates having surfaces that are
subjected to polishing treatment to form smooth surfaces, or a
surface coating is provided to reduce frictional resistance or to
enhance corrosion resistance.
[0026] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the present invention provides a
structure of a conveyor 1 for use in a conveyor driven fabric
dyeing machine, which as a second embodiment, comprises at least
one pair of conveyor chains 12 that are arranged parallel and a
driver roller 11 that guides and drives the conveyor chains 12. The
conveyor 1 is arranged in an interior space of a machine body of
the fabric dyeing machine to convey fabric (not shown in the
drawings). In other words, the fabric is positioned on the conveyor
1 and the conveyor 1, when driven by the driver roller 11 to move,
brings the fabric to move in a cyclic circulating manner.
[0027] In the conveyor, a plurality of conveyance plates are
provided between and straddling the conveyor chains 12. In this
specification, the conveyance plates are divided into a plurality
of first conveyance plates 2A and second conveyance plates 2B that
are arranged alternate with each other. The first conveyance plates
2A and the second conveyance plates 2B each have two end edges on
two opposite ends thereof, wherein the ends on the same direction
are referred to as first ends 21 and the opposite ends are referred
to as second ends 22. The first conveyance plates 2A and the second
conveyance plates 2B are arranged on the conveyor chains 12 in a
manner of being alternate with each other and the first ends 21 are
fixed on the conveyor chains 12 and the second end 22 are not fixed
and are free ends that are straddling and supported on the conveyor
chains 12, so that an outside surface of the entire loop of the
conveyor chains 12 are completely mounted with and covered by the
conveyance plates.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 5, the present invention provides a
structure of a conveyor 1 for use in a conveyor driven fabric
dyeing machine, which, as a third embodiment, comprises conveyance
plates 2A that are extended to cover multiple sections of the
conveyor chains 12. In other words, the multiple sections of the
conveyor chains 12 share one common first conveyance plate 2A or
one common second conveyance plate 2B, so that the numbers of the
first conveyance plates 2A and the second conveyance plates 2B used
can be reduced.
[0029] The fabric that is conveyed by the conveyor 1 may absorb and
hold a large quantity of dye liquid therein. To allow the dye
liquid contained in the fabric to be smoothly discharged out of the
conveyor for separation of the fabric and the liquid, the second
embodiment of the present invention may be structured such to
include a plurality of through holes (not shown in the drawings)
extending through each of the first conveyance plates 2A and the
second conveyance plates 2B. As such, the dye liquid contained in
the fabric may be acted upon by the gravity to fall through the
through holes and return to a bottom of the interior of the machine
body.
[0030] Similarly, the present invention is preferably made up of
conveyance plates that are made of a rigid or stiff material that
is resistant to corrosion and surfaces of the conveyance plates are
subjected to polishing treatment to form smooth surfaces.
[0031] It will be understood that each of the elements described
above, or two or more together may also find a useful application
in other types of methods differing from the type described
above.
[0032] While certain novel features of this invention have been
shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is
not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be
understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and
changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in
its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without
departing in any way from the claims of the present invention.
* * * * *